Our Cause Has Gone Insane
by nottonyharrison
Summary: He helped her escape. So why does the caller ID say Renfro? An AU story in which Logan is dead, Manticore still exists, and Alec can't decide which side he's on.
1. Chapter 1

OUR CAUSE HAS GONE INSANE

**TAGLINE: **He helped her escape. So why does the caller ID say Renfro? An AU story in which Logan is dead, Manticore still exists, and Alec can't decide which side he's on.

**DISCLAIMER:** I am a mere writer of fiction and do not claim to own any of the concepts behind the Dark Angel canon. Full credit goes to Cameron, Eglee, and reluctantly, Fox. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of myself. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**A/N:** I know, I know. Haven't updated KWAF for a while, but the great imaginary writer's block monster has reared it's ugly head. I don't want to give y'all a crappy chapter, so hopefully this little one-shot will help me get over my problem. Oh, wait. It's not a one-shot any more. Crap.

* * *

Sometimes Max swore that Seattle had no weather. You know those days where the sky is a dull gray, there is no wind and the temperature is not quite cold enough for a jacket, yet too chilly for just a t-shirt. Yes, today was a weather free day.

To be fair, the city usually had very pronounced weather patterns. They usually involved rain, and Max wasn't very fond of rain. She also wasn't a fan of wind, so a no-weather day suited her just nicely, and it was a shame it had to be spoiled by work.

"Bip bip, Maxine. I don't pay you to use the talky-stick!"

Max paused in mid sentence and rolled her eyes, "for the last time, Normal. My name is Max, not _Maxine_. Don't make me put the smackdown on your flat ass."

"I haven't got all day_ Max_. Will you do it or not?" The voice on the other end of the phone was almost drowned out my Normal's angry retort.

"Yeah, we'll do it. Since when do I have a choice?"

"You're a good soldier Max, but one of these days your mouth is going to get you in a sticky situation."

"Yeah yeah. Tell it to someone who cares. What time's the pickup?"

"7pm. Don't be late or I'll give you surveillance next time."

"I'm not the one who takes forty-five minutes to pick out the right jacket." She hung up.

"Please tell me you didn't volunteer me again?" The frustrated voice came from the other side of her locker door, where an athletic young man was putting on some cycle gloves.

"She wants us both. Says it's a two person job and you are the only other person around here who I think will be able to take out a bunch of Pakistani militants." Max crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "Besides, this is all your fault in the first place."

"Why do you insist on blaming me for our situation? It was going to happen whether I was involved or not!" He turned away and headed for the dispatch counter.

"7 o'clock, Alec. Don't be late or I'll kick your ass from here to next year!"

He didn't even look at her as he gave her the finger.

* * *

The flight to Pakistan was largely uneventful. Alec had arrived on time, and they had left without incident. After five minutes, Alec's jiggling was starting to wear on Max's nerves. Ten minutes after that, it was starting to make it difficult for her to concentrate on her military strategy book. After half an hour she couldn't stand it any more and hit him hard in the head with the hefty volume.

"Couldn't you have brought something to _do_? Are you seriously going to sit there fourteen hours waggling your foot?" A mock pouty look was staring back at her and she felt no remorse at her sudden violent outburst.

"I'm going to have a nap. I'm just not tired yet." The voice was slightly higher pitched than normal, eyebrows raised. It was reminiscent of a seventeen year old explaining to their parents why they had just paid four hundred dollars for a pair of sneakers.

"So read up the mission file or something, just please, for the love of god stop moving around!" She turned back to her book and moved a few more inches away from the still jiggling man beside her. Alec moved closer, making sure his leg was touching Max's. He knew she had already read the same book twice before, and was only doing it again to make him look bad in front of the small backup unit sharing the plane.

"I can think of something far more exciting...." He was leering at her now. Max gave him a dark look and shivered in disgust. Alec leaned back and went to sleep, he was wearing her down.

* * *

Although the operation was not an an officially sanctioned by the military, their commander had somehow managed to get a hold of an old KC-135. The long range and decent cruising speed made it perfect for a clandestine HALO jump into the Hingol National Park.

The pair of transgenics waited patiently for the plane to come up on the drop point. The altitude was around thirty-seven thousand feet and on the edge of what their human companions would be able to survive. Max furtively glanced at the unit's leader who was standing to her left, he looked totally relaxed.

"You ever done this before?" She asked.

"Yeah. Never gone above thirty five though. You?"

"First time for everything." The soldier raised his eyebrows.

"Your first time and they're throwing you out at this altitude? I sure hope you're built the way they say you are. Especially without oxygen." He pulled his own oxygen mask on and patted her on the shoulder. Max pulled her gray balaclava over her goggles.

Two minutes later she was plummeting to the ground, waiting for her altimeter to show five hundred feet. The noise from the air rushing around her was almost painful to her sensitive hearing and she could feel the tip of her nose going numb, but it she couldn't deny it was an exhilarating experience. She could see Alec about a hundred yards to her right hurtling towards the earth at terminal velocity. She briefly wondered if _he_ had done this before, and then decided it was a stupid question.

She could see the ground coming up fast and checked the little gauge attached to her wrist. It was only a few seconds before it hit five hundred and she pulled the cord, the chute deployed and she was jerked upright. She let out a deep breath. No training, no PT, and above the altitude cutoff. Welcome to being government property.

Alec was running towards her across the dark desert, having only landed a short distance away. Their group was to travel in teams of two to a compass point approximately ten kilometers away from their current location. Only when the full group had reassembled at the rendezvous point the team leader of the support group would brief them on the assignment. According to him it was under Renfro's orders no-one was to know the details until the last possible moment. Max knew this was so Alec and herself didn't back out, it was obviously going to be a bitch of a job.

"So what do you think, Rescuing an X5 who's got themselves in a sticky situation? Theft of nuclear warheads? Maybe Renfro's finally got desperate and needs us to kidnap her a boyfriend." He was looking at her with raised eyebrows and a mock sympathetic face. Max poked her tongue out at him.

"Come on, time to head to the rendezvous. Don't want to keep the boys waiting." She checked her GPS and started walking towards the dot showing on the screen.

"Max, wait a sec." Grabbing her arm he turned her to face him, expression unusually serious, "I know you resent me for getting you into this, but I really _am _sorry."

"Now's not the time, Alec." She was frowning.

Alec let go of her arm and she turned back in the direction of their destination. The last thing she needed now was her pain in the ass partner having a guilt induced epiphany. Silently, she started in the direction of the little flashing dot, not waiting for Alec to follow. He could go to hell if he thought she was going to let _him_ lead the way.

* * *

It took them less than an hour to travel the short distance to the rendezvous point, the rocky and mountainous terrain was going to be difficult for the rest of their team to traverse, but for the two transgenics, it was no different than a normal day of avoiding homeless people and gangsters in Seattle.

They sat in uncomfortable silence on a rocky outcrop. All of Alec's attempts at conversation were shot down by Max, who insisted they should maintain complete silence. Alec had pointed out that they were about to have a conversation regarding their target and attack strategy with the rest of the team but she wouldn't have a bar of it.

"Max, are you forgetting that _I _am technically the one in charge here? After all, I'm the one who was assigned to keep _you_ in check."

"No. You pissing me off reminds me of Logan, which in turn reminds me of this ludicrous situation I find myself in. Please shut up now."

Her words hurt. Although he had been following orders, he still felt the responsibility of Logan's death hanging heavily over his head. He almost wished he had waited a few moments before shooting her with the tranquilizer so she could have transmitted Eyes Only's last ever message. At least then he could be sitting in a bar somewhere hitting on a hot blonde, not stuck in the middle of a rocky desert waiting to do god knows what for a group of people he wasn't entirely sure if he was loyal to.

"Do you speak Urdu?"

Max ignored him. It had been a trick question anyway.

She continued to ignore him until the rest of the team arrived, their gray fatigues almost invisible in the darkness. Alec was impressed, for a bunch of ordinaries they were surprisingly quiet, Most of the Manticore soldiers were about as quiet as a herd of Elephants crossing the Ganges.

"Okay team, gather round." Higgins, the unit's leader was spreading a map of the area out on one of the few level patches around. He pointed to a symbol on the map, at the same time nodding in Max and Alec's direction. "This is your target. And before you ask, yes it is the Hinglaj Mata. You are extracting an important asset to the program who is being held captive in a facility buried behind the shrine. Gibb here has an EMP which will kill all the electronic devices in the area, which shouldn't make much of a difference because this is only a rudimentary prison. The device will cut out any visual and audio devices for approximately two minutes, by which time I expect to see you heading back here."

"What resistance should we expect once inside the facility?" Max was starting to get suspicious.

"That's where things may get interesting. This is a Conclave site. You should expect resistance from low level familiars, most likely those who's genetics make them suitable for little more than guard duty. You shouldn't come in contact with any Phalanx but be prepared for possibility of some unusual abilities. Any questions?" He looked at the two transgenics and appeared unsurprised when Alec spoke up.

"Who's the target?"

"You'll know him when you see him."

* * *

It had gone off without a hitch. No telekinetic familiars, no Phalanx, no resistance whatsoever. The morons the Conclave had left in charge hadn't even noticed the sparks from the gas cutter they had used to open the door of the cell they had the prisoner in.

Even so, Max was royally pissed.

Colonel Donald Lydecker stood in front of her, hands still cuffed and a scowl on his face so deep she prayed the wind would change.

"Are these handcuffs really necessary?" His voice was as calm and cool as ever, not betraying the obvious strain he had been under for the last few months.

"Bosses orders, Deck. Can't let you out of the cuffs until you've been through a fully psych assessment." Higgins looked mildly amused at his former commander's current predicament. Lydecker's face remained impassive.

"Remind me again why we didn't leave him there?" Max turned to Alec, her frown almost as severe as the older man's, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Because then we would end up straight back in the Manticore machine, waiting for some LASIK surgery." He glanced in Higgins' direction. "Come on, time to move out, it's a long trek." Higgins nodded.

"Split up into your original pairs. Deck, you're with the Kryptonians here." He waved his hand towards the two transgenics, who both pulled a face. Lydecker's scowl softened a little. "We'll see you at the next rendezvous."

Alec walked towards Lydecker and grabbed an arm. "Come on, old man. Time for a nice long walk." He pushed him towards Max, who was already heading for the next little blipping dot on her GPS.

* * *

An hour later and the complete silence was starting to get to the Colonel. These two used to be two of the most free thinking of his 'kids' and now they both appeared to be the perfect Manticore pets. He knew the reindoctrination Max had been through over the past six months or so would have been extreme, eleven years on the outside needed harsh treatment which she wasn't trained to resist, and he knew Renfro wouldn't have pulled any punches.

494, however, was a bit of a mystery. Lydecker knew he had resisted reindoctrination in the past, and the Berrisford mission hadn't been an exception. He had been in the assessment room himself when he had been cleared to go back to training, and recognized a complete fleecing when he saw it. 494 appeared on the surface to be a rigid, emotionless piece of government property, but Donald had known the kid since he was born. This was 494 doing what he was bred to do – resist any and all attempts at information retrieval. This unit was one of Manticore's best.;

"What's the deal with you two anyway? Are you really Renfro's pet chimeras or do you both have sticks up your asses for a different reason?"

"Shut the hell up Donald, or you'll have my boot so far up _your_ ass your spleen will be full of rubber."

"So I'm talking to Max then, not 452? Must be a pretty big stick then, if you're working for the ice queen."

"I swear to god, if you don't shut your pie hole I'll happily give you back to the Familiars."

The rest of the trip was spent in yet more silence. He knew the transgenic pair were frustrated by the slow speed they were having to travel, but being given enough food only to stay alive wasn't the best way to prepare for a half marathon. When he finally felt the ground leveling out he breathed a sigh of relief, and not long after the small group stopped.

"The rest of them should be here shortly, their route's may have been longer but they weren't weighed down my a malnourished, dehydrated old man." Max looked pointedly at the aforementioned 'old man' and Donald for the first time in his life felt grateful to two of the kids who had caused the most anguish in his stress filled time on earth. He sat down on the dusty ground, trying to avoid the small rocks that seemed to be there solely for him to trip up on.

"What's she got on you, Max? I know she killed Logan, but surely that wasn't enough for you to have a total breakdown?"

"I cut a deal."

"Are you mad? That woman will eat you for breakfast given the chance."

"Apparently I was created for a specific purpose by Sandeman. I told her I would kill myself unless she let me go home to Seattle, she told me she'd lock me up in a cell for the rest of my life unless I did the odd job for her."

"And 494?" He inclined his head towards their companion.

"He's a constant pain in my ass."

"There to keep an eye on you?"

"Got it in one."

"I'm right here, you know. I don't need to be genetically engineered to hear a conversation happening six feet away." 494 sounded mildly pissed.

"What did she call you?"

"Alec." Donald chuckled a little.

"Smart Alec?"

"My my, aren't you perceptive?" Yes, definitely a smart alec.

* * *

Alec breathed a sigh of relief when the late model Lakota chopper picked them up. It was only a short trip to Karachi, and there was a nice hotel room with a mini bar waiting for him. The rest of the unit had only been five minutes behind the leading group, but it had been the most uncomfortable five minutes of his life. Stuck in the desert with a woman who hated the ground he walked on, and a man who had spent the last twenty or so years trying to beat him into submission was definitely what he would call the ideal situation. Thankfully the chopper had picked them up almost immediately and they were now only an hour away from the aforementioned minibar.

"494." Alec turned his body to the man sitting behind him.

"Yes Higgins?"

"You, 452, and Lydecker are gonna be staying in the same room. I don't want the Colonel here trying to make a break for it before we get back on Manticore property." The anticipation Alec felt suddenly turned to dread. _More_ time stuck with Miss Sullen and Mr Stoic.

"Gee, I never want this mission to end. You have _no idea_ how much I _love_ spending time with these two." He rolled his eyes and faced back towards the front of the helicopter.

"You know, son, I'm not that bad once you get to know me." Alec didn't turn in the direction of the voice. He continued to stare directly to the front.

"I _do_ know you, Lydecker. You're an asshole."

"And Renfro's not a bitch?"

"She's even worse than you, old man." He didn't attempt to hide the bitterness.

"Then why don't you run? Take a leaf out of Max's book here and live the life you dream about?"

"It's easier this way. I don't want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder. Besides, I've got it pretty sweet." Alec's mouth was set in an expressionless line. The last thing he wanted was the older man picking up on how much he would like to do just that.

"She tried to kill me, you know. Programmed my face into a hoverdrone and sent it after me with a nine millimeter attached."

"I am aware of that operation."

"And you're just going to hand me back over to her? Let her shoot me herself?"

"I think the director's priorities have changed. She doesn't seem bothered about finding the other escapees. Max is the one she wanted."

"And why isn't Max in the compound stuck in a solitary cell?"

"You know as much as I do. Renfro's got some plan for her, and it's enough for her to let Max call most of the shots. Now will you shut up, all this yelling is making me hoarse." He finally turned to face Lydecker, exasperation getting the better of him. Competing over the noise of the chopper was starting to get on his nerves, and he knew Max could hear every word he was saying.

They flew the rest of the way in silence, only occasionally disturbed by the pilot's voice over their headsets. The chopper pad was on the roof of the Sheraton Karachi, a hotel known for it's discretion in sensitive matters. Alec had used this same chopper pad once before after a mission in Afghanistan had gone awry. They had made it from the hotel to the air base without even a hint of suspicion and he hoped this time would be no different. The last thing they needed were a bunch of Familiars knocking on their door at four in the morning.

Alec waved a thank you to the pilots, who were headed to Abu Dhabi. He didn't envy the long flight ahead of them and Chah Bahar was not the most pleasant of airports to refuel at. His own predicament, however, was not much more favorable.

He turned and headed to the freight elevator the rest of the group was now stepping into. It went straight to the basement, where they could change into street clothes and become normal rich American tourists out to experience the culture of the Pakistani nightlife.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks so much to those of you who reviewed chapter one. Unlike Kiss with a Fist I have NO IDEA where this is going. I had an outline for a one shot of around 5000 words, but cut the end and decided to see where it takes me.

MutantSquirrel: I'm glad you felt that way about chapter one, it's exactly the mood I was shooting for. I wanted to explore the idea of a story where Max believes she has lost everything. I do just want to make the point that I didn't kill off Logan because I hate him (quite the opposite, actually. I have grown to quite like writing him), but so that I can move away from the whole 'I love Logan but can't touch him' agonizing that kinda stunts the development of a lot of stories. Don't despair, remember season one Max? The one who actually had fun? She'll be back, but this time without that much to lose.

DisconnectSelfDestruct: Thanks for appreciating the jargon etc... I researched hard out. Bless Google and Wikipedia!

**Our Cause Has Gone Insane – Chapter 2**

"I feel ridiculous."

"You look hot."

There was a collective intake of breath as the group waited for the thwack of fist against skull. Max settled with glowering ominously at Alec. She had opened the bag containing her civilian clothes to find a brown zebra print minidress and a pair of impossibly high stilettos, needless to say she was not impressed.

"Ow, shit!" The attention in the small utility room moved to Lydecker, who was clutching his posterior, grimacing. Higgins was putting a syringe like device back into his kit bag.

"Didn't think we'd forget to put a tracker in you, didya Deck?" Higgins chuckled gently.

"You didn't have to put it in my _ass_."

Max pushed her amber colored sunglasses down her nose and looked over the top of the frames. "Not gonna try and dig it out though, are you?" She spun on her heel and walked toward the guest elevator, not bothering to check the two men were following her.

* * *

The gentle click of wooden heels on marble caught the receptionist's attention and he glanced up from his computer and sighed gently. He could tell by the expensive but trashy dress and the ostentatious Dolce and Gabbana handbag that this was going to be one of _those_ guests. Americans with more money than sense were always a pain in the ass, but the stupidity of some of them made it almost worth it.

"_Damn." _it was however, unusual for a single woman to turn all heads in the large lobby, including the ladies. He let out a breath and turned back to his monitor, attempting to exude an air of indifference.

"Reservation for Weiss." Her voice was sullen and rude. And she was chewing _gum_.

He glanced up and smiled tightly. "One moment please ma'am." He hit a few keys, "is that w-i-s-e?"

"No you moron, its w-e-i-s-s." She rolled her eyes and snapped her gum.

"Sorry, my mistake. Aaah, here we are. I see you are alone, are you no longer traveling with accompaniment?" He looked at her again and her eyes were again heading skyward.

"My husband and his father have stopped at the _bar_. May I please have their room keys?" She fished around in her enormous glittering gold bag and pulled out a credit card.

"Certainly, Ma'am. May I offer you an upgrade to one of our Club suites? Perhaps you and your husband would like some privacy?" She smirked and tilted her head to the side, eyes suddenly going from dour to mischievous.

"That would be lovely....." she squinted and studied his name badge "...raa-feek." The smirk was replaced by a grin. "Do you guys do all night room service? I'm starving."

"Absolutely, Ma'am. Our chefs would be delighted to prepare anything from our room service menu for you. Here are your Keys." He handed her three magnetic card keys and smiled the pageant smile he had become rather adept at over the years. "I pray your husband and father-in-law are not long at the bar." He glanced over her shoulder and his smile dropped a little. She turned and caught sight of what had caused his slight change of demeanor. The younger man had his arm around the older, clearly supporting him after one too many whiskeys.

"Oh, wonderful. Here they are now." Her hand closed around the key cards and she turned toward the two Americans. "Thank you Rafik. Sorry I called you a moron."

"That is not a problem, Ma'am. Have a nice stay." Yes, definitely typical Americans.

* * *

Alec smirked as Max came striding towards them. She was clearly enjoying the acting for once judging by the unsettling but cheerful smile on her face. He adjusted his grip on Lydecker slightly and opened his mouth to say something smart, but thought better of it, instead turning it into a false yawn.

"Hey _Emma_ you wanna help me with the old man?" She pulled a face.

"You're on your own there _honey_. It's not my fault you stopped at the bar at four a.m." She handed him their keys. "I took the liberty of upgrading us to a two room suite, I'm not sure I can handle his snoring tonight."

Alec smirked. Luxury rooms on Manticore's time and money were alright by him. "Of course. I need to sleep off the jet-lag anyway." He awkwardly turned himself and Lydecker and followed Max back toward the elevator. Something about her smirk was bothering him, but he chose to ignore it. She was probably just enjoying insinuating to the receptionist that alcoholism was hereditary in her 'husband's' family.

The short walk to their room was spent in silence. Both Alec and Max were busy observing the hotel, taking note of any escape routes and possible security threats. So far Alec had managed to work out three possible escape routes, none of which Lydecker would be able to handle. By the time they reached room nine-oh-seven he was looking decidedly worse for wear and about ready to either pass out or vomit.

Max passed her key through the reader and pushed open the door. The lights flickered on automatically and Alec watched her head straight for one of the open bedroom doors. She immediately slammed it closed.

"Max!"

He dumped Lydeckder on one of the soft looking armchairs and stomped over to the door. He pushed it open forcefully and glared at her. She was laying serenely on the bed, shoes still on and a folder held above her face.

"Piss off, Alec. You're on Deck duty." She didn't even bother to look away from the menu.

"You're ordering room service without me? That hurts." He glanced behind him to make sure the old man was still where he left him. He was asleep. "Gandalf's asleep, you wanna have some fun?" He raised an eyebrow and sent her a conspiratorial look.

"I'm not having sex with you, Alec." She still didn't look away from the menu.

He laughed. "As much as I would love to dive into that wonderful complicated mess, that's not what I meant." He held up his right hand and opened all the fingers bar his thumb and index. "Manticore sanctioned minibar, anyone?"

The folder was quickly snapped shut and she sat up, swiveling on the bed she stood up and snatched the key out of his hands. She went for the vodka first.

"Get me a mixer will ya?" Her finger was pointing to the cupboard next to the small refrigerator. Alec opened it and pulled out a stainless steel mixer and two short tumblers. He watched her carefully as she poured almost every kind of alcohol in the fridge and an almost pathetic obligatory splash of cola and lime. Her nose wrinkled "Damn, no tequila. Who stocks a minibar with rum but no tequila?" She shrugged and added a splash of bourbon instead.

"This should put you on your ass." She held her glass up. He clinked and took a long sip and coughed a little.

"Woah, Maxie. You're gonna make me think you have some nefarious purpose here." He winked at her and she poked out her tongue.

"Yeah, to knock you out so you'll shut the hell up." She took another drink and leaned back in the plush sofa. He watched her kick off the ridiculous heels and tuck her feet up on the cushion. Her dress was riding dangerously high and he reached over and pulled the hem down a little. "Someone's feeling chivalrous tonight."

"My whole purpose for existence isn't just to get in your pants."

"No, just to help me kill my boyfriend." Her voice was laced with bitterness.

"Give me a break, Max. What would you have done in my situation? Ignored direct orders for the third time and finally gotten yourself put out of your misery, or save your ass? Shit happens, deal with it." He stood abruptly and went back to the minibar, copying Max's mixture from a few minutes earlier. He should probably slow down or he actually might get drunk for once. He turned and looked harshly into her eyes, his next words were gonna hurt, but they had to be said. "It's not like you were as close to him as other people you've lost. You killed your own _brother_ and got over that in a couple of months." He caught the empty glass she threw at him and watched her storm off to her room.

* * *

She hated him. Hated more than any other person she could remember. More than Normal, more than Deck, even more than Renfro. She hated him so much she actually had murderous thoughts, not that she hadn't had murderous thoughts about the other three, but this was different. She had actually created detailed situations in her mind, only problem was they all involved her seducing him first.

God she was fucked up. How many people fantasized about killing their workmate while they were lying sweaty and satiated and tangled in said murderous woman's sheets? She had analyzed it and came to the conclusion that she wanted to use him like he had used her. Either that or her genes were telling her to screw someone who would make pretty offspring. Whichever way you looked at it, it wasn't her fault.

She growled and pulled a pillow over her head. She was quite happily practicing holding her breath when she felt a wisp of air over her hand and heard something hitting the bedside table.

"Go away."

"What was that? I can't understand you on the other side of that feather monstrosity you're calling a forehead." She felt the bed move and his hand rested on her waist, gently caressing her stomach with his thumb. "I'm sorry, Maxie. I meant it, but it probably wasn't the right time to actually _say it. _I'm blaming the Long Island." She heard the clink of ice cubes and figured he was well on his way through his second drink. His hand had slipped lower to her hip and she jerked the pillow away from her face and sat up.

"Sleaze."

He laughed. "Worked though, didn't it?" He handed her the drink he had placed on the night stand earlier. She drank it quickly.

"Deck still asleep?" She nodded her head toward the sitting room.

"Yeah, I handcuffed him to the coffee table. It looked pretty sturdy." She waved her glass in front of his nose and he snatched it from her hand. "Trying to get drunk are we? Not a good look for someone who's hanging onto their freedom by a thread."

"Speak for yourself," she hollered after him as he headed back to the main room. He was back a few moments later with full glasses. This time instead of sitting on the edge of the bed her laid down next to her and crossed his ankles nonchalantly.

"Okay, so lets get this over with," she blurted. Alec looked at her like her hair had turned green.

"What the hell are you on about this time?"

"I hate you, you know that right?" Her eyes were looking intently into his own.

"I may have been led to believe that, yes." He was looking right back at her, guarded and a little afraid of her intensity.

"So why are we sitting here getting drunk like old buddies?"

"Circumstance, I guess. No point in both being miserable when we can pretend to have _fun_." He had a fake chipper tone to his voice and she frowned. He looked away for a moment and she pounced, pulling her knees toward her chest, she rolled over and shoved him off the bed with her feet. The look of shock on his face was enough to lift her mood momentarily and he landed with a thud on the floor between the bed and the bathroom door. She rolled off the bed and landed on his torso, arms on either side of his head. He had somehow managed to save the glass of booze and it was now resting in the palm of his left hand.

"I really, really hate you." Her nose was only an inch from his, and she could see the laughter in his eyes.

"I _know_ Maxie. Why do you have to keep saying it constantly? It's not like it's some big secret or anything."

"Is it okay that I hate you, but really, really want to fuck you?" She took little satisfaction in the deer caught in headlamps expression, instead focusing on how soft his lips looked. And then she found herself on her back, Alec scrambling away from her. Emergency backtrack time, "Someone's all talk and no action, huh?" She giggled.

"You were screwing with me, you bitch!"

* * *

He watched her as she stood and headed for the bathroom, mentally kicking himself for almost believing her crude words. His eyes carefully trained on her back he couldn't help but notice the slightly hunched over shoulders and bowed head. Nowhere near noticeable to someone not trained to pick up on the smallest changes in body language, but enough for the cogs in Alec's head to start to turn. Perhaps she wasn't lying. Maybe it was just a cover for his reaction, after all, she had improvised brilliantly in the lobby earlier that morning.

He was waiting for her at the door when she came out, leaning on the doorjamb and blocking her exit from the bathroom. She stood in the doorway and glared. He reached behind her and slid the door shut.

"You might not want to hear this Max, but I hate you too." His voice was low and throaty and he had moved closer, trapping her against the door his body almost touching hers. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers firmly, sliding his hands around her waist and lifting her up so her legs wrapped around his back.

With her newly prone position Alec had no trouble sliding one hand under the bottom of her dress, playfully resting it on her ass while the other slid up her body, over her breast and into her hair. She gasped into his mouth and he caught her tongue in his teeth, letting go after a second and moving onto sucking on her lower lip. Her hands had moved to his hair, twisting almost painfully.

He let her go abruptly and let her feet drop to the ground.

"Question is Max, which of us is being ironic here?"

He walked out of the bedroom and quietly shut the door.

* * *

The Colonel awoke to the uncomfortable sensation of a dead arm. He didn't know how long he had been asleep but clearly, it was long enough for the transgenics to have had a huge fight already. 494 sat across from him on the couch, face set in an expressionless mask, drink in hand.

"What's the matter, son?" He tilted his head up and looked at the younger man through narrowed eyes.

494 remained silent, blank look unchanging, but the colonel knew it was all an act.

"Quit with the bullshit, _Alec_. I know the Manticore mask better than anyone. What have you two been coming to blows about?" 494 narrowed his eyes and took a drink.

"What makes you think me and Max've been fighting? You don't know anything about me. For all you know the chef refused to cook me excargot and foie gras with a fucking champagne and truffle sauce." Lydecker laughed. It was just like 494 to come up with a far too elaborate answer when on the defense.

"Get me a drink will you, son?"

"Whatever," 494 got up abruptly and headed for the minibar.

"Whiskey, neat." He looked over to the x5 who was listlessly pouring a tiny bottle of single malt into a tumbler. "So what's going on with you two anyway? You screw some other chick on a mission or something?"

"Shut it old man, you don't have any idea what you're talking about." The glass was dropped down just out of his reach.

"So fill me in."

"You don't have clearance, I can't just go telling you classified mission details because you _used_ to be my CO." 494 narrowed his eyes and sat back down. "Besides, I'm sure Renfro's just gonna get as much information out of you about the Conclave as you'll give and then pop a bullet in your skull." Lydecker grimaced.

"She won't kill me, not now that she knows we're on the same side."

"How do ya figure? You teamed up with a bunch of rogue X5s and blew up the DNA lab. Last time I checked that counted as a black mark on one's record." 494's mouth twisted in a sardonic smirk and he looked at the older man expectantly.

"My enemy's enemy is my friend? Don't tell me you've forgotten basic training already. Besides, why would she stage such an elaborate rescue attempt for someone she's just going to _pop off_ anyway?" He gave 494 a look that said _duh_ and again reached for his drink. This time he managed to snag the edge of the glass an pull it towards the chair.

"If you were the conclave you wouldn't want to have someone held prisoner by _us, _would you? It's amazing what stuff comes out of your mouth when someones sticking needles in your eyes."

Lydecker shrugged and took a sip of his drink, he wasn't really in the mood for debate tonight. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back onto the chair and sighed. Mac and cheese sounded good, he could go for some mac and cheese.


End file.
